Teaching Transhumanism

Onco-mice and cloned sheep, drones and auto-automobiles, neuro-enhancement and prosthetic therapy: Is transhumanism a "movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity" (Ronald Bailey 2004), or rather "the world's most dangerous idea" (Francis Fukuyama 2009)? This volume attempts to elucidate what we understand by the term "transhumanism", what topics and problems we face, what media are suitable for classroom use, what lesson scenarios seem effective, what benefits we may reap, and what challenges we have to cope with when we teach transhumanism in English language classes.



Prof. Dr. Engelbert Thaler ist Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Didaktik des Englischen an der Universität Augsburg. Seine über 650 wissenschaftlichen Publikationen befassen sich mit Verbesserung der Unterrichtsqualität, Lehrer:innenausbildung, Medien- und Literaturdidaktik, interkulturellem Lernen, Entwicklung von Lehrwerken.



Contents



Engelbert Thaler

Introduction



A. Theory



Engelbert Thaler

Transhumanism in Language Teaching



Roman Bartosch

Lessons in Relatability. Posthumanism and Literacy Learning



Klaus Bredl

Transhumanism – More Than Human?



B. Methodology



Werner Delanoy

Quo Vadis Humankind?. Transhumanism, Posthumanism and Language Education



Peter Hohwiller

John Lanchester's The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom



Arthur Haberlach

"Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young!". Teaching Yuval Noah Harari's Homo Deus



Nicolina Pullmann

Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism. Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence Among Advanced Learners in Game of Thrones



Stephanie Fuchs

Please, Download Your Identity Here. Transhumanism and the Concept of Identity as Promising Topics for EFL Classrooms



C. Lessons



Ben Maré Dutschmann

The Concept of Transhumanism



Katharina Stark

Transhumanism in Films



Lorenz Körner

Transhumanism and Religion



Ben Maré Dutschmann

Human Enhancement



Contributors